To Be Your Harbour
by TheBadIdeaBears
Summary: Winry can't sleep so goes outside for some air where she meets Ed and the two have a heart to heart about Ed's future. Songfic to 'Harbour' by Vienna Teng.


_Hello everyone, Holly here, Pandora and I decided to write each other fics to celebrate moving into a brand new house and she asked for some lovely Ed/Winry to the song 'Harbour' by Vienna Teng. Hope you all enjoy :D_

* * *

Winry couldn't sleep. The clock on the wall read half past four and she was more awake than if it had been midday. She tried closing her eyes, turning onto one side and then the other just to see if it would make her feel more inclined to drop off but to no avail. She seemed to be just awake and nothing was likely to change that any time soon.

It wasn't even as if she had the excuse of worrying about the boys to blame for her insomnia, both of them sleeping soundly in the next room. She had lost track of the number of nights she had lain in bed, staring up at the ceiling, hoping against hope that the next day she would hear something about Ed and Al's whereabouts. Now they were home and they were whole again and Winry couldn't be happier.

It still wasn't helping her sleep though.

Finally admitting defeat she threw her covers off and got out of bed. Pulling on some shoes and a jacket she quietly padded downstairs so as not to wake any normal person who didn't want to be up in the small hours of the morning. Thinking that she would do some tinkering to try and tire herself out (or get a head start on the next day's work) she began to make her way down to her workshop.

As she passed the back door she noticed a solitary figure sitting on the porch staring out into the garden. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her and she was actually half asleep. She gave them a rub and looked again. The figure was still there, long hair glowing as the first few rays of daylight began to break over the horizon. A small smile played over her lips.

 _What's he doing out there?_

With all thoughts of her workshop and tiring herself out with work gone Winry made her way over to the back door. It slid silently open, not giving her presence away. She watched Ed a second longer. He looked so serene just staring out into the horizon although there seemed to be a longing in his eyes that she hadn't seen for a long time. A restless need that said he was tired of staying still; wherever he was had served its purpose but he needed to move on.

Winry sighed softly to herself, she had seen that look so many times on his face before she would know it anywhere.

The morning fog was slowly clearing as she cleared her throat softly, alerting him to the fact that she was there. The sudden noise seemed to startle Ed out of his reverie. He turned to see her smiling at him.

"Hey," she said, coming out onto the porch and closing the door behind her.

"What you doing up?" he asked as she went and sat down beside him. It was a little cold but not unpleasantly so.

"Couldn't sleep," she replied. "You?"

"Same," he said. "Now Al's got his body back he snores worse than Armstrong."

Winry giggled softly. "Sorry."

Ed shrugged, a wry smile playing about his lips. "Don't be," he said. "I quite like it actually – lets me know that he's really back."

"It's really strange seeing him like that after all these years," Winry said, wrapping her arms around her knees. She didn't know if Ed could feel the palpable tension between them but if he did he didn't say anything.

"I know what you mean," he said. "Sometimes I find myself just staring at him or finding excuses to touch him just to remind myself that it isn't all some crazy dream."

"He seems to be adjusting to being human again well though," Winry said.

"I think you mean he's eating you out of house and home," Ed laughed. Winry couldn't disagree with that, Al did have a tendency to eat with gusto now.

"What about you though?" she asked after a pause.

"What about me?" Ed asked.

"How are you doing?"

"Me?" Ed asked, almost as if his own well-being was an afterthought. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Winry asked.

"Nothing's really changed for me," Ed replied with a shrug. "Only thing that's different is Al and occasionally I remember I can feel things with my right hand... or I forget I can't use alchemy any more."

"I'm sorry."

"'s okay," Ed said shrugging but Winry could tell that it wasn't. "I just feel a bit useless, you know."

She chuckled softly. "I don't think 'useless' if ever a word I would use to describe you."

"I just don't know if I can stand still for very long," he said. "Like I already feel like I've been here too long."

"You getting itchy feet?"

"Kind of," Ed replied with a sigh. "It's difficult though 'cause Al's still adjusting and I don't want him to feel like I'm pushing him to get better faster but I don't want to go off without him. I mean he might get sick if he leaves before he's ready."

"Have you asked Al what he wants to do?" Winry asked knowing full well what the answer is.

"No," Ed admitted.

"Well then maybe you should," Winry teased giving Ed a poke in the ribs.

Ed batted her away. "Yeah, yeah I will..."

"Don't give me that," Winry scolded giving him another poke in the ribs. "You need to tell him that you want to go places, that you don't want to stay here forever."

"Yeah but..."

"No," Winry said firmly, cutting him off, "if you want to be off on the road again you need to tell him. Chances are he'll probably want to go with you."

Ed seemed to think that over for a moment. "I guess you're right," he said. "Al keeps talking about all the things he wants to do now he's human and one of them is going out to Xing to see May."

"Sweet," Winry smiled. "See he'll probably want to go with you so you might as well ask him."

"I guess," Ed said running a hand over his face. "It's not just him though, there's other stuff as well."

"Like?" she pressed.

Their eyes met for a second and Winry noticed Ed's cheeks turn pink before he looked away again. "I mean imagine how sad Granny would be if we just upped and left again."

"She'd understand," Winry said knowing full well that neither of them were actually talking about Pinako.

"I dunno," Ed said. "I feel like I'm being really indecisive about this and I'm not used to that."

"Then hurry up and make up your mind," Winry teased.

"It's just hard..."

"Have you always dithered this much?" Winry asked.

"What?" Ed asked sounding offended.

"I always remember you making snap decisions and running headlong into danger without really thinking about it," Winry replied with a grin.

"Yeah well that's because I was always trying to save someone," Ed mumbled, looking away.

"So, what, no one needs saving anymore?"

Ed shrugged. "I don't think so... I mean there must be someone, somewhere but everything is a lot calmer now."

"Then there's nothing stopping you," Winry said.

"I guess..."

"You've got a journey to make," Winry told him.

"But..."

"I know you," she said placing her hand on top of his. "I know you won't be happy staying in the same place for too long and none of us want you to be unhappy." She shifted her hand so that she could link their fingers together. It felt like a bold move but it was a private moment between the two of them.

"Winry..."

"I'm not going to be the person that asks you to stay," she said.

"I know."

"All I ask is for is that you come back to me."

Silence fell over the two of them, a tension hanging heavy in the air as Ed took in the implication of her words.

"Okay," he said giving her hand a squeeze.

"Good," she smiled. "If you could also remember to call or write once in a while that would be great too."

Ed chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Yeah okay I will."

"Good," Winry said giving him a radiant smile. "I just want to know that you're safe every once in a while."

"I will, I promise," Ed said. "The last thing I want to do is to make you worry again."

"I'm always going to worry about you Ed," she told him, "but I know that this is something you have to do, and that's okay".

"Have I ever told you, you're amazing?" Ed asked.

"Yes," Winry replied, "but it's nice to hear it again every so often."

"I don't even know how long I'm going to be away for," Ed said after a pause. "I mean I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for so I don't know when I'm likely to come back or anything."

"That's alright," Winry said. "No matter the distance, I'll always be here for you."

"I'll bring you back something cool," Ed mumbled.

"Don't break your automail."

"I won't," Ed huffed.

"I will be so annoyed if you come back and it's in pieces," she told him. "Your leg was the only bit that seemed to hold up through everything."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Don't give me that," Winry said pinching his cheek with her free hand, the other still clasping his firmly.

"Alright!"

"So much trouble," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Sorry..." Ed mumbled.

"It's okay I'm teasing you," Winry giggled.

"Oh..."

"Sail your sea," she said softly. "Meet your storm, just stay safe and let me know where you are once in a while."

"I will."

"Good."

"I don't expect you to wait for me," Ed said after a pause and Winry noticed that he sounded a little sad.

"I know you don't," she said, "and I won't necessarily but I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather wait for." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and she felt her face heat up. There was a similar blush on Ed's face. It always had amused her when Ed got flustered so she might as well go for broke.

She leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek and she heard him gasp softly. "I'm going to head back inside."

"Okay..." Ed said, his voice rasping slightly.

"I'll see you later," Winry smiled at him.

"Okay..."

Winry gave his hand another squeeze and got to her feet. She padded back to the door and slid it open. She cast a glance over her shoulder, taking one last look at Ed, she could already see him chasing the horizon but he seemed deep in thought as well. _Well I've given him something to think about..._

She slipped back inside and closed the door behind her. After that she could feel the tiredness beginning to creep back. _Maybe I'll just go back to bed for a little bit, it's still really early after all..._

* * *

A few days passed and neither Ed or Winry bought up the conversation they had on the porch. The two of them carried on as if nothing had happened and no one seemed to have noticed anything different although occasionally, when no one was looking, Ed's hand lingered on Winry's a little longer than necessary. She never mentioned it and Ed never said anything else so she didn't press the matter.

Until he announced that he and Al were leaving Resembool.

Winry was sad but ultimately not surprised. She knew that this was coming even before the night they spent out on the porch; Ed never had been one to stay still for very long.

He told her that she didn't have to but she still walked with him to the train station all the same. _If this is the last time I'm going to see you for a while I want to say a proper goodbye._

"You really didn't have to come all the way out here with me you know," he said as he flopped down onto a bench.

"Shall I go then?" Winry teased and made to leave.

"No!" Ed cried grabbing her hand to stop her. Winry turned to look at him over her shoulder and his face turned scarlet. He dropped her hand immediately. "Um... I mean..."

"Fine, I'll stay," she said sighing theatrically and sitting down on the bench next to him.

"Thanks," Ed mumbled.

"Don't forget to write and let me know where you are," she said.

"Yeah, yeah..."

"I'm serious Ed," Winry said as the train pulled into the station. "I don't want to spend all of my time worrying about you when I'm going to have other things I need to concentrate on."

"You don't need to worry about me, you know," Ed said as he gets to his feet.

"I know but I always will because I care about you," she told him. Ed's face turned scarlet and Winry could feel a blush adorning her cheeks too. "Well I'll be seeing you, have a safe journey and let me know where you are." She turned to leave, not wanting to make this any harder than it already was.

"Winry wait!" Ed cried.

"What?" she asked, turning to face him.

"Equivalent exchange!" Ed shouted.

"What?!"

"Equivalent exchange," he said again, as if that explained anything. "I'll give you half of my life if you give me half of yours!"

There was silence as that sunk in.

"You idiot!" Winry shouted back after a pause. "That's the lamest thing I've ever heard! Half my life? Why don't I just give you my whole life?"

Once again they both stopped and went scarlet. This time Ed was the one to recover first his laughter resonating all around them.

"Brilliant," he cried through his laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"You are,"he replied. "You just knocked equivalent exchange right on its ass."

Winry just shook her head. "You're such a jerk," she huffed.

"So is that a yes," Ed asked taking a hopeful step towards her.

"Of course it is," Winry said as he wrapped his arms around her. "Ask me properly next time."

"I will."

"And I get me a nice ring too," she mumbled.

"I will," he said again. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into another, longer kiss.


End file.
